ORLANDO – Senior Naomi Clark scored a goal in the first 30 seconds and added two more in the second half to propel No. 14 UCF women’s soccer to a 3-1 victory over UAB on Thursday night at the UCF Soccer Complex.
The hat trick marked the first of Clark’s career and the first for the Black and Gold since Sept. 30, 2018, when former Knight Stefanie Sanders achieved the feat.
UCF remains unbeaten with the result, as it improved to 4-0-0 with the win, while the Blazers dropped to 1-3-1 with the setback.
“We started off pretty hot in the first minute, but I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit and settled in. At the same time, UAB was sitting in a low block, which gave us some trouble in finding ways to break it down. We had to make a few adjustments, and halftime gave us the opportunity to have that conversation and figure some things out,” head UCF coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said.
Entering the game with a team-leading three goals on the year, the senior forward Clark didn’t waste any time finding the score sheet as she netted a goal just 27 seconds into the match to give UCF a quick 1-0 lead. Ainsley Moy fed a ball to Maria Tregansin, and the captain slotted a pass towards Clark at the top of the box for the first goal of the match.
1' | Naomi Clark wasted no time finding her fourth goal of the season 😤@GetSpectrum First Goal of the Game pic.twitter.com/fxmTl2FRxv
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 27, 2026
The Blazers evened the score in the 14th minute when Lauren Lucero delivered a deep strike to tie the contest at 1-1.
With the match all still knotted up in the second half, Clark then gave the Knights the lead with her second goal of the evening in the 71st minute. The ball was deflected back her way by a Blazer defender and Clark delivered a strike from the left side of the 18 to make it 2-1.
71' | Another brace for Naomi for her fifth goal of the season🔥 pic.twitter.com/ejivPfLJBe
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 28, 2026
Clark then completed the hat trick in the 79th minute off a corner kick. Sophomore Sophia May passed a ball into the box and defender Carli Crews one-touched a pass to Clark who slipped a shot past the keeper for her third goal of the contest. The three scores give Clark an impressive tally of six goals though just four matches of play on the season.
79' | Naomi Clark notches her first career hat trick for UCF's first hat trick since 2018 🙌 pic.twitter.com/INJ44s7Qt7
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 28, 2026
The Black and Gold defense stayed stout from there, as they didn’t allow a UAB shot the rest of the way.
Clark’s three goals paced the team, as she also tallied a season-high six shots and five shots on frame. Crews and May both notched their first career assists, while Tregansin now has two on the year and Moy has a team-leading three.
Goalkeeper Ansley Ittel recorded her third victory of the season to move to an unblemished 3-0-0 after recording one save and allowing just the one goal.
As a team, the Knights outshot UAB 17-5 and 7-2 on frame on the night.
“Naomi speaks for herself scoring all those goals,” Roberts Sahaydak added. “We’re really lucky to have her and she is playing at an exceptionally high level. She’s also a tremendous teammate with an outstanding work ethic. She leads by example and is an inspiration. We just hope she can keep it going.
The win marked UCF’s first home win when nationally ranked since Oct. 1, 2023, versus Oklahoma.
UP NEXT
The Knights will next return to the road for a pair of away matches next week. UCF will first travel south to face in-state foe FIU in Miami on Thursday, Sept. 3, before heading to New England to take on Brown University of the Ivy League on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Black and Gold’s final non-conference match will come on Thursday, Sept. 10 at home against North Florida.
TICKETS
UCF women’s soccer season and single-game tickets are on sale now! Please visit ucfknights.com/tickets for more information or call the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.